Generally Speaking, the Problems Start with Those Two
by loudatlas
Summary: The Okumura twins don't exactly seem like twins-but they're definitely brothers. They just prioritize. (Characters to be added)
1. Chapter 1: Spots

"Erm...Yukio..."

"Huh?"

"What...why do you got those spots on your face?"

"Gufawh! Spots! They aren't spots, Rin! They-they're...I...I dunno."

Rin prodded at his brother's face, closing one eye in intense six-year-old concentration so as to hit each one exactly.

"Should we ask Dad about them? How come I don't got any?"

"Stop poking!" Yukio swatted his brother's hand away and covered his cheek. "I dunno why you don't got any. I remember father saying they were kisses from faeries."

"Wha-faeries? Don't be a baby, Yukio, those don't exist!"

The younger twin was silent, rubbing absentmindedly at his cheek and casting his gaze to where his book lay forgotten on his lap.  
"I bet you don't got any because the faeries know you make trouble."

"Yukio! That's not fair! I bet the faeries like me, too!"

"You just said they didn't exist."

Rin made sounds of frustration akin to growling. Yukio smirked and uncovered his cheek-his older brother always managed to dig himself into these kinds of holes, nevermind the fact that Yukio was expert at walking him into them in the first place.

"Whatever you say, Yukio. Anyway, whatcha readin?"

"A book."

"What about?"

Rin looked at the pictures in the book as Yukio held it out to him. He wasn't very good with words, but he could see that the picture was of a face, riddled with spots just like Yukio's.

"They're moles."

Rin looked at his brother, slightly triumphant. "Nah uh, you can't trick me like that Yukio. They're not m-oh-l-s, they're faerie kisses!"

Rin poked Yukio's face one last time before he ran off to consult his father.


	2. Chapter 2: Glasses

Note: They won't be six years old the entire time, I promise. They just happen to be six in the first two. They won't all be about Yukio, either.

Note Part2: Apparently my little dividing lines for the different parts in here aren't showing up, so...I'm sorry if it's confusing. I'm trying to fix it! :D

* * *

"Hmm..."

"..eh..."

"..gg...ghh..."

"...Yukio?"

Startled, Yukio sat upright and closed the book in front of him with a snap. His father stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed behind the lenses of his glasses.

"Yes?"

"What are you up to, kiddo?"

"Just reading."

"Reading, huh?" Fujimoto came into the room, peering over his younger son's shoulder to read the title of the book on the desk. It was...a low-level book on scripture. The six-year-old fidgeted. "Ah! This old thing. All right, read your old man a few lines."

Fujimoto flipped the book to a random page, gesturing for Yukio to read it aloud.

The twin cleared his throat. "Um...'I-in the b-beginning...trees...' no, wait," Yukio pulled the book closer, squinting down at the words. "'there was...' um..."

His father laughed. "Nervous, then? It's okay, I get it, I get it. I'll let you practice."

Yukio sighed in relief. "Thanks, dad."

Fujimoto made for the doorway, thinking.

* * *

"Yukio!"

"Yeah?"

"Look. At. This. Shirt."

Rin proudly held the hem of the shirt outwards so his brother could see the entirety of the image.

Yukio looked for what seemed (to Rin) like hours. His face only went deeper into confusion.

"...You don't think it's cool?"

"W-what! No, Rin, that's not it. I just..." Yukio glanced around the room, leaning in close to his brother to whisper. "Rin, can I tell you a secret?"

The older brother solemnly nodded. Of course he'd keep a secret for Yukio.

"I can't see things very well."

Rin gasped. "What should we do?"

"I don't know if we should tell dad or not."

Fujimoto poked his head into the room. "Tell dad what?"

* * *

"WHOA!"

Rin stared open-mouthed at his brother, who adjusted the glasses on his nose and fidgeted under the scrutiny.

"Yukio..."

"Does it look weird?"

"Weird? What, no! You look really cool!"

Yukio grinned. "You think so, nii-san?"

"Duh. You have faerie kisses _and_ glasses, so you must be _extra _cool."


	3. Chapter 3: Feline

Yukio had been living with his brother for fifteen years before Rin was let in on The Secret. Yukio, born knowing said secret, knew all there was to know about his brother (including the stuff Rin himself didn't know).

But now, uncountable empty milk cartons later, Yukio was beginning to realize that maybe the whole "demonic powers of Satan" thing would bring out traits in Rin that had never seemed very important before.

Like Rin's new-found love of milk. (Which was draining the extra spending cash they had considerably.)

Or his persistence to laze around in the sunlight (although lazing around was in no way a new habit).

His reflexes, while always decent, had skyrocketed to the point where he wa so light on his feet that he was like a ghost-when he wasn't running his mouth.

(Not a literal ghost, of course. He was a demon. Not a ghost.)

It had dawned upon Yukio why this behavior seemed so familiar when he walked in on his brother lounging on his bed, Kuro wrapped snugly on his chest.

Rin reminded him of a god damn _cat. _

(A very dangerous, flame-wielding cat, but nonetheless.)

When Yukio offhandedly mentioned this to his older twin (in the hopes of embarrassing him enough to quell the cat-like persona) Rin had licked a sharpened canine and _meowed_ at him.

It was never brought up again.


	4. Chapter 4: Demon

Note: Ah! Thank you everyone who's favorited/reviewed! I really love writing these, so I'm glad you guys enjoy them:D I'm working to get these more in character, which is why this one's something like a character study (maybe?). We know that Rin usually covers his problems up with smiles, but I wanted to try to play on what it was like inside his head.

Anyway...Any suggestions for future chapters would be_** amazing**_.

Thanks for reading!

* * *

Demon. _Demon. _

The irony did not escape him. That his childhood brand would become his title, and that no one would really ever stop cringing away. From him.

From a _demon_.

Sometimes he thinks it's actually himself-his own personality, the way he is. Not his demon blood. That made him like this, so temperamental, easily aggravated, distracted when it came to anything other than fighting. He looked to Yukio when he was in these moods-Yukio who was just as much a son of Satan as Rin, but yet...smart, charming, polite, Yukio. No demonic blue flames, no pointed ears or irascible temper.

Not that he thought his brother was perfect-Yukio was fond of compulsive lying, so Rin could always hold that against him. But where Rin held the weight of his heart slung across his back, Yukio held the weight of Rin's life.

(Not that Rin would ever admit this, or that he was proud of this fact, but if there came a time when he did lose control of himself, there was only one person alive he'd let raise a gun barrel to his head.)

This was, essentially, the way things where.


	5. Chapter 5: Dreams

Shit guys I haven't uploaded this in forever, sorry! I'm not crazy about this one (I wrote it a while ago but it just didn't flow right. But seeing as I haven't posted anything in a while I figured...whatever). Anyway...

* * *

The night is dark, quiet, and he's in the monastery.

The pews are silent-not even the settling of the old wood reaches him. He blinks, and a light flames to life.

He's not alone.

"Yukio...? Are you...okay?"

His brother stands at the other end of the room, flames licking at his clothes. Blue flames. His blue flames, or...?

"'Yukio!'"

Rin shudders, watching his brother's mouth move-but it certainly isn't Yukio's voice mimicking him.

"'Yukio, are you okay? Dear baby brother, Yukio!' Kahhaha!"

Rin tries to take a step forward, but his feet are stuck fast to the floorboards. "Y-you! Leave him be!"

"That's not way to talk to your papa, Rin!" The demon in his brother grins, and blood pools at the corner of his lips. It gathers like tears in Yukio's eyes.

Rin gagged. "Stop! You'll kill him!"

"Oh, poor brothers! One a monster, the other bound to die, ha!" Satan gestures to himself-to Yukio-and chuckles. "This one is worthless."

Rin blinks, and Yukio is inches away from his face, a hand gripping tight to his shoulder. The flames spread to him-or maybe these are his-and his vision is filled with blue.

"Watch as this worthless one burns."

Rin clenches his teeth on a scream, lodging the breath in his throat. In front of him, the blue flames start peeling away at his brother's skin, steaming as they hit the blood dripping from his eyes, his mouth, his nose, cracking his glasses and-

"RIN! RIN, WAKE UP."

Rin bolted upright, sheets tearing under his fingers. The smell of burning reached his nose, and his eyes focused on his brother, who sat beside him, hands locked tight around his upper arms. Yukio's arms were engulfed in blue fire up to his elbows.

"Y-Yukio! G-get away from me!"

Rin pushed himself to the wall, away from his brother, and drew his knees to his chest, tail wrapped around his knees. He gritted his teeth to quell the fire around him and extinguish the ones licking at his brother.

He wasn't in the monastery. He was in his dorm. No one was being possessed. Yukio wasn't dying. Yukio was not dying.

He buried his face in his knees and dared not look at the damage.

"Rin."

The older twin said nothing.

"Rin, look at me."

Cautiously, Rin looked to his brother. Yukio sat directly in front of him, legs tucked under himself. His voice is soft, and although he can only see the shadow of his face, Rin knows that look.

"Rin, I'm fine. See? I don't think you could get that fire to burn me if you tried." The 'moron' that should follow that goes unsaid. "We're both the son of Satan, after all. I may not have gotten the powers you have, but assuming I'm completely human is...just..."

Yukio trailed off and repositioned to sit beside his brother, back against the wall. They watched the lights outside the windows for uncounted minutes, the sound of their breath synchronizing in the silence.

"I'm sorry," Rin whispered. He slumped sideways, resting his head on his brother's shoulder and shuddering once.

Yukio didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around his shoulders. They hadn't sat like this since they were kids-and it was usually the other way around. But the familiar feeling of it was comforting.

Yukio rested his head on his brother's flop of messy hair. "Don't apologize. Moron."


	6. Chapter 6: Crybaby

Kind-a-sorta companion to "Demon"?

Two updates in a day as an apology:/ Huge thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed!

The next one will be fun and happy I promise.

* * *

Crybaby.

Was he a crybaby?

Not now, as he was, certainly not. He hadn't cried (in front of anyone) in years. He _had _been a crybaby, when he was little (Yukio can freely admit this to himself). He'd been the weaker twin, not in the sense of presence or intellect, nor by any physical deficiency in his size-Rin had just been _stronger. _More aggressive. Quick to heal and even faster to take offense.

Rin hadn't changed, in those regards.

What Yukio found had changed about his twin was the sense of purpose he carried around on his shoulders. It weighed part of him down, chained to his wrists and ankles and his heart-Rin tried to hide it through strong smiles and even stronger banter, but Yukio could see. He was his brother, for God's sake, of course he'd be able to see through Rin's facades. (Just as easily as Rin saw through Yukio's, surely.)

But despite this weight, Yukio saw that his brother had gained a dedication. A will to improve himself for the sake of...well, everyone. Anyone. Responsibility and danger and hatred were trying to grind him into the floor-yet Rin had straightened his back and turned burning eyes to the ones who had told him "No."

Yukio reasoned that this was why he was so keen on fighting for his brother-Rin was strong, so much stronger than he was, but Rin was also _vulnerable. _

Rin's power, which could save people, help people-it could also destroy. It could destroy Rin. That is where Yukio found the most irony, in all of this.

In the end, Rin's greatest asset would also be his greatest weakness.

Which was why Yukio planned to stay by his side-as the crybaby, the four-eyes, the younger brother, the intellect, the twin that hadn't inherited any otherworldly powers.

Yukio had to make up for the years that Rin had fought his schoolyard fights for him, after all.


	7. Chapter 7: Sick

Rin could only remember being sick once in his life. And chicken pox didn't count, if he was thinking in terms of the common cold.

Yukio only got sick occasionally when they were younger-not as frequent as expected from most people. Especially the ones who'd heard the stories about him being a smaller kid, quick to cry and easy to pick on.

But Rin? He didn't get sick. It was the whole half-demon thing, because there was no way the human side would've been able to avoid the flu that had spread like wildfire through True Cross Academy a few months back.

And at that moment, in the few seconds it took for him to cough, he: a). thought _Was that me?_ b). briefly wondered if he'd swallowed his own spit wrong and c). felt the heavy weight of the cram school students' gazes drilling into his back.

He opened his mouth to address the staring-and sneezed.

Twice.

Yukio paused in writing on the blackboard long enough to glance back at him, eyes narrowed. "Rin?"

Rin cleared his throat. "M'fine."

Fifteen minutes later, the coughing got worse.

Shiemi held a hand hesitantly close to his shoulder, as if she were going to pat him on the back. "Are you sure you're okay, Rin? You aren't sick, are you?"

"I don't get"-_cough-_"sick."

The look on her face told him that she thought he was full of it.

"Tsh. Moron can't even admit when he's sick." From Suguruo, naturally, flipping through the demon pharmacology book. Rin felt sapped-he didn't even have the energy to tell the rooster-head off, like he usually would.

(This in itself should have alarmed everyone.)

When Yukio turned to Rin a second time, the pleasant-teacher mask he wore slipped for a moment.

"Rin, do you need to go to the infirmary?"

"No-" his voice came out rough, and his throat burned when he tried to swallow. "No, I must've just had my face to close to these dusty ass books and breathed something in."

Yukio gave him the same look that Shiemi had, albeit with more annoyance and the familiar Rin-don't-screw-around undertone.

Five minutes later, Rin closed his eyes for no less than a second before he pitched sideways out of his chair.

(Later, he would reflect on how disappointing gravity had been to send him into the aisle and not, say, to the other side, and into Shiemi's lap.)

"Oh, ho, ho! Seeping beauty awakes!"

Rin cracked his eyes open to hot pink pokadots and a goatee that was painfully close to his face.

"Fu-M'phisto, get outta m'face."

Yukio was anxiously standing on the opposite side of Mephisto. "How are you feeling?"

Rin self-assessed.

Arms, fine. Legs, fine. Neck, a little stiff. Head, _pounding, _dear _God_, what demon had stuck an ice pick in his eye? Throat...he swallowed once and resisted the urge to claw his neck. His chest was sore, and his sternum felt like a boulder was nestled atop it. Breathing was terrible-the wet, rattling in his lungs put his nerves on edge.

Was _this _what it felt like to be sick?

"I take it that you won't have a positive answer for us," Mephisto chirped. "Doesn't surprise me, either. A little itty demon has made its way into your immune system, Rin! Usually, the snots like the one you've got in you wouldn't bother with a higher demon because they'd be killed before they could do any damage, but it seems that yours is a little extra special."

Rin closed his eyes and almost whined. He didn't want to try to solve any riddles at the moment.

"Extra special as in someone engineered this demon," Yukio clarified. Ah, helpful Yukio. Rin squinted at his brother.

"Huh?"

"We've run some blood tests, and it looks like whoever made this bacteria made sure it would have enough demonic presence to get you sick. It's not strong enough to kill you or anything, but you might feel like hell for a couple of days."

Rin tried to groan, but it came out as a breathy hiccup. "So you're saying someone is doing this on purpose."

"Unfortunately," Mephisto winked at him. Rin pretended not to see it. "But on the bright side, this means someone at the Acaaa-de-my is up to something." He sung the last part as he straightened his coat and gathered his hat under an arm. "I'll be off now, boys! Rin, get plenty of rest, eat soup. Yukio, carry on with your normal duties."

And he swept out of the room.

Yukio's eyes stayed on the door after he'd gone, frowning. "I hope he realizes that I'm going to have to skip cram school to look after you."

"Aw, are you going to make me soup?"

"No, I'm going to sit and laugh at your misery in return for all the years I got sick and you didn't."

Rin couldn't tell if he was serious.


End file.
